Timeline of Pirates of the Caribbean series

"Do you think he plans it all out…or just makes it up as he goes along?"

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The Aztecs deliver to Cortés a stone chest containing 882 identical pieces of Aztec gold, as blood money to appease his slaughter. When Cortés refuses to stop his conquest, the Heathen Gods place a curse upon the treasure, so that anyone who took but one coin from the chest would become undead skeletons. The treasure ultimately ended up on Isla de Muerta.[4]

1580

1590

c. 1600–1660

At an unknown date, a sailor named Davy Jones and the sea goddess Calypso fall in love with each other. Calypso rewarded that love by giving Jones captainy aboard the Flying Dutchman and the sacred task of ferrying souls who died at sea to the afterlife. Because of that love, Davy Jones agreed to set foot on dry land once every ten years; and if this love was true to him, his task would be complete, and a new captain of the Dutchman would be found. Jones would spend the following decade in this duty, at the end of which he could be reunited with Calypso for a single day.[7][8]

Ten years after pledging to serve as ferryman aboard the Dutchman, Davy Jones returns to land for one day to be with his love, Calypso. But whenever Davy Jones came ashore, Calypso was nowhere to be found. Around this time, the First Brethren Court convenes at Shipwreck Cove, where Davy Jones plotted with the Brethren. With his help, the Brethren bound Calypso into human form with the Nine Pieces of Eight, so that the rule of the seas would belong to men. These Pieces of Eight would be passed down through the generations as each Pirate Lord names his or her successor to the Court.[7][9]

Shortly after the First Court, Davy Jones' grief and guilt at what he had done became so great, he literally carved out his heart and locked it in the Dead Man's Chest, which he buried on Isla Cruces.[10] Refusing to continue his duty, Jones returned to the seven seas; only now sailors everywhere would fear him to the death. Because of this, Jones became cursed, in which he and his crew slowly transform into sea creatures the longer they serve aboard the Flying Dutchman.[8]

Torrents is captured by Davy Jones, and strikes a bargain with him, vowing to bring Jones the Sword of Cortés in exchange for his freedom. Jones marks Torrents' body with the sign of Quetzalcoatl, found on the Sword's scabbard. This angers the heathen gods, who curse Torrents with storms that follow him constantly.[3]

Jack Sparrow is granted an audience with the mermaids at Isla Sirena, and negotiates the lives of his crew in exchange for his freedom.[36]

Jack Sparrow locates Isla Fortuna and the Sword of Cortés. Left-Foot Louis is defeated by the Sword, and the spirit of Hernán Cortés is released by Sparrow.[6] Jack later releases the spirit of Montezuma to defeat Cortés.[37]

Captain Barbossa and the crew sail the Black Pearl to Isla de Muerta, where they find the treasure. After spending all the treasure, Barbossa's crew became cursed and set about returning all 882 pieces of the treasure.[4][47]

Bootstrap Bill Turner speaks out against the decision to mutiny against Jack and sent off his gold coin to his son, saying the crew deserved to remain cursed. Upon learning of Bootstrap Bill's actions, Barbossa has Turner strapped to a cannon, and sent to the bottom of the ocean. It is only after this point the crew learn they needed Turner's blood to lift the curse.[4][47] Bootstrap Bill began living out a tortured existence on the seabed, unable to die; until he eventually makes a bargain with Davy Jones, at an unknown time, agreeing to serve one hundred years aboard the Flying Dutchman.[10]

Blackbeard was believed to be killed from the battle of Ocracoke Inlet, North Carolina. However, Blackbeard survived the battle and continued acts of piracy, during which time he began to learn of the dark arts.[48]

1726

1727

1728

James Norrington is promoted to the rank of Commodore. Jack Sparrow arrives in Port Royal prior to the Black Pearl's attack. Elizabeth Swann is kidnapped, and Will Turner recruits Jack to help save her. Jack assembles a crew at Tortuga, who set sail in the commandeered HMS Interceptor.[53][54]

During the voyage to Isla de Muerta, Jack and his crew sack the Earl King, with Jack and Will posing as members of the Royal Navy.[55]

Jack ultimately confronts Barbossa at Isla de Muerta. Turner lifts the curse, allowing Jack to kill Barbossa and his crew to be killed or captured by Norrington's men. Jack escapes a hanging with Will's help, and rejoins his crew. Will and Elizabeth pledge their love to one another. Jack the monkey takes a coin from the chest and becomes cursed once more.[4]

1729

One year after the battle of Isla de Muerta,[54] the marriage of Will and Elizabeth is interrupted by LordCutler Beckett, who arrests them both and takes control of Port Royal. Jack Sparrow escapes from the Turkish prison with a drawing of the key. Will sets off to obtain Jack's compass for Beckett, and Elizabeth later escapes prison to track him down. Ragetti and Pintel escape from Port Royal prison. Jack, Will and the rest of the crew seek Tia Dalma who tells them the history of Davy Jones and Calypso. Will is press-ganged aboard the Flying Dutchman, but escapes with the key. Jack arrives at Isla Cruces and unlocks the Dead Man's Chest, though Norrington later steals the heart. Jack and the Black Pearl are dragged down to Davy Jones' Locker by the Kraken. Norrington presents Beckett with the heart, and is reinstated as admiral. Davy Jones falls under Beckett's command.[56]

After about two months[57], the East India Trading Company calls a state of emergency, and carries out mass hangings at Fort Charles. While the Flying Dutchman, sailing under the Company, becomes the scourge of pirates in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, Jack Sparrow's crew, now under Barbossa's command, sail to reach World's End and rescue Jack Sparrow in Davy Jones' Locker. Sao Feng is killed onboard the Empress, and names Elizabeth Swann as Pirate Lord in his stead. James Norrington dies protecting Elizabeth as she escapes from the Flying Dutchman. The Fourth Brethren Court was called by Barbossa, convening as the EITC were advancing with an armada to destroy the world of pirates. Barbossa was eager to release Calypso, while Jack was eager to declare an act of war against the EITC, after which Elizabeth Swann was elected as the new Pirate King. Calypso is released from her human form and forms a maelstrom, where a battle raged at the center of it. During the battle, Will Turner and Elizabeth are wed by Barbossa, while Jack fights Davy Jones for the Dead Man's Chest. Jones is killed by a dying Will Turner, who replaces him as captain of the Dutchman, and Cutler Beckett dies aboard the Endeavour.[8]

After the battle with Beckett and the EITC, Will and Elizabeth spend their one day together before Will begins his duty aboard the Dutchman, and conceive a child. Barbossa steals the Black Pearl, Gibbs stays in Tortuga, and Jack Sparrow steals the navigational charts and begins the search for the Fountain of Youth.[8]

1739

August - Elizabeth Swann and her son Henry await the return of Will Turner. It is believed that because Will has carried out his duty for the past decade, and Elizabeth remain faithful, Will's curse is broken and he is freed from service.[60] However, Will Turner returns to his wife and son for just one day before returning to his duty.[61]

↑"The idea was to take the Pirates of the Caribbean world a few steps beyond, with our new characters engaged in a thrilling and sometimes hilarious search for the fabled Fountain of Youth that takes them from the teaming streets of mid-18th century London to mysterious and dangerous ships and islands inhabited by zombies and mermaids." - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: The Visual Guide Foreword by Jerry Bruckheimer

↑In a possible backstory, at some point after the Jack Sparrow series, Arabella Smith returned to Tortuga to take over as the owner and operator of the Faithful Bride, which would be renamed "Tortuga Tavern". The Tortuga Tavern sign says that the tavern was established in 1673. However, the canonicity of the story is unknown.

↑Quote about the incident shows that Blackbeard's death never happened and it was just a legend, "And what of you? The mighty Blackbeard. Beheaded, they say. Still, your body swam three times around your ship and climbed back onboard."

↑ 49.049.1"I recognize this ship, I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England" - Elizabeth Swann on the Black Pearl (The Curse of the Black Pearl)

↑ 54.054.1Dead Man's Chest takes place a year after The Curse of the Black Pearl as evidenced by Jack Sparrow's line about being captain of the Black Pearl for only "two years" before the mutiny, which was ten years before the first film. Davy Jones confirms their deal occurred thirteen years prior to DMC, leaving another year to account for the time between films.

↑In the previous movies, there seemed to be quite a wide range in terms of historical accuracy, and I think they did, 'as long as it made sense, find out what's the most fun thing to use.' We picked a date of 1750, we all got together in a room, and said, 'right, let's have a date we can pick and choose from, so we said 1750… and if it was a bit earlier, or just a hair later, maybe we'd do what was most fun for the storytelling, but we're in that range, we're saying mid-1700s. - John Myhre